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Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Matt Painter is staying at Purdue. So sayeth Jeff Goodman, Gary Parrish, and Andy Katz, which means that it is true. (They all made the same report within the span of no more than one or two minutes. I wonder who sent the mass text? Maybe Painter himself?)

Whew. Anyone else glad that's over?

Painter's statement: "I am extremely excited about continuing my career at Purdue. I believe we have built something very special. At the same time, I feel we have much more ahead of us to accomplish.

"There's a lot to be excited about right now with Purdue basketball. We are moving into our new offices and locker room complex over the next couple of weeks. Our program is built on hard work, and we are ready to get back to improving as a team and a staff."

"At the end of the day, my heart is at Purdue, and this is a place where I want to win a national championship." According to Parrish, Painter decided to return because Purdue offered him more money. (UPDATE: He also got an eight year extension.) In his previous contract, Painter was making just $1.3 million a year (although Goodman's initial report says Painter made $1.9 million), which was the eighth highest for basketball coaches in the Big Ten. Painter has won at least 25 games the past four seasons, he's rebuilt the Boilermakers into a force in the Big Ten, and he's been named conference coach of the year three times in that span.

I'd say he was probably due for a pay bump.

And that is exactly what he used Missouri for. He forced Purdue's hand.

It wasn't just for his salary, however. Painter's staff all got raises. But more importantly, the school's budget for things like recruiting was increased. One of the biggest knocks on Purdue as a basketball program is that they are not willing to spend the money to make their program nationally competitive. That is what Painter was asking for. That's what he would have gotten at Missouri.

And that is what he was given by Purdue.

There is more to this story, however. For the second time in the span of two weeks, Missouri was completely fooled by a coach trying to decide where he would end up next season. At first, it was Mike Anderson, who eventually left for Arkansas but managed to convince everyone at Missouri -- and the reporters that cover Missouri -- that he would be staying. Painter did the same.

And before that, it was the Big Ten. If you remember, during expansionocalypse last summer, Missouri was convinced that they would be leaving the Big 12, but instead it was Nebraska that was scooped up by the Big Ten.

The folks in Columbia, MO, appear to be quite gullible.

So where does Missouri go from here?

Well, it won't be to Buzz Williams. As I was typing out this post, news came out that Buzz has inked a new deal with Marquette for around $2 million a year. Chris Mooney signed a 10 year deal with Richmond earlier in the week, which means that three very good coaches have leveraged the Missouri, NC State, and Oklahoma job openings into a raise and a longer contract.

It also means that all Shaka Smart or Brad Stevens has to do is right a number on a piece of paper, and they will probably get that much to fill one of those three voids.

Based on the amount of leg work & research Painter did in the last week, I have a hard time believing he was simply using Mizzou.

Painter talked with a ton of coaches around the state (both high school & AAU) to get a feel for "the situation."

In my opinion, that's not something you do if you're simply trying to get a raise with no interest in really leaving. Honestly, I don't think Painter truly expected Purdue to offer more money. When they did, that changed the game.

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